Chuck Tharp, member of the Fireballs
deb...@comcast.net
Bill Griggs posts at Rockin' 50's that Chuck Tharp has died of cancer.
He was a member of the Fireballs, who scored several instrumental hits
in the late 50's & early 60's. He sang lead on their occasional vocals
like "Long Long Ponytail".
deb...@comcast.net
group
that scored a #1 hit in Oct. 1963, "Sugar Shack."
Actually, it's the same guys- Jimmy Gilmer joined later.
Matthew Kruk
And then they hit the Bottle of Wine?
deb...@comcast.net
George Tomsco, from Raton, New Mexico, began taking guitar lessons at
the age of nine and was playing in a local western band when he was
only twelve. Chuck Tharp, originally from Ysleta, Texas, moved to Raton
with his family in 1955. Both Tomsco and Tharp were attending Raton
High School where they decided to put a band together so they could
participate in their PTA talent contest being held on January 28, 1958.
During the contest, which they won, they performed a rousing rendition
of "Great Balls Of Fire" over and over and thus earned their name of
the Fireballs. (The reason they performed this one song over and over
is because it was the only song they knew and had rehearsed at that
time!)
In 1958, the band consisted of George Tomsco, Chuck Tharp, Stan Lark,
Eric Budd, and Dan Trammell.
They had their first recording session at the Norman Petty Studio in
Clovis on September 3, 1958 and recorded the instrumental "Fireball"
which was released on Kapp Records. Although it never made the national
charts, the song showcased the drive and talent of the group.
On April 1, 1959 the group had another recording session and recorded a
song titled "Curious". Before release, the title was changed to
"Torquay" and the group had their first hit, rising to #39 on the
charts.
Also in 1959, the Fireballs released "Long Long Ponytail" on the Jaro
label that featured a vocal by Chuck Tharp. Although the song didn't
chart, it's a great and collectible record. (Evidence of how great this
song is came when Bill Griggs was working at KDAV Radio. Every time he
played this record, which was often, the phone would ring and a caller
would ask him to play it again!)
Dan Trammel left in August 1959 due to illness. By now, Stan Lark had
discarded his standup bass and was playing electric bass which added to
the depth and sound of the group. They began to tour excessively and
made an appearance on American Bandstand on January 30, 1960.
During January of 1960, they hit the charts again rising to #24 with
"Bulldog". "Vaquero" hit the charts during September, their last hit on
Top Rank.
As a group, the bulk of their recordings were released on Top Rank and
when the label folded, they recorded for Warwick, Dot, and Atco. They
charted eight times on those labels.
Chuck Tharp left the group on August 1, 1960 being replaced by Jimmy
Gilmer.
During the summer of 1961, a booker wanted him to tour and Chuck Tharp
took Ray Ruff with him as his opening act. Immediately after that tour,
they formed a group called the Checkmates consisting of Ray Ruff
(vocals), Larry Marcum (lead guitar), Chuck Tharp (rhythm guitar),
Jerry Hodges (bass), and Gary Swafford (drums). After Swafford departed
the group, Chico Apodacca became their new drummer.
They recorded tracks in Clovis as well as in Amarillo, Dallas, and St.
Louis. It wasn't long before people noticed that Ruff sounded a little
like Buddy Holly. Chuck Tharp left in late 1962.
Chuck rejoined the Fireballs during the 1980s as an on again off again
player. During the late 1990s and into the 2000s, he'd join the group
when they performed to the delight off all his fans.
The Fireballs were inducted into the West Texas Walk Of Fame in 2001
and after the induction, they performed on a flatbed sound truck for
those attending. Chuck sang "Long Long Ponytail" and dedicated it
to Bill Griggs who has said, for years, that that was his favorite
Fireballs' song.
The Fireballs held three special reunion concerts on January 27th and
28th, 2006 and all three were sellouts. Chuck again dedicated "Long
Long Ponytail" to Bill Griggs. This became the last time Chuck
performed with the group.
Chuck had just turned 65 last month. (Rockin' 50's)